Speaking of ladies, I wondered how awkward it was going to be when I told Audra that my mother was inviting another lady in hopes that I would ... gosh … what? What the hell was my mom thinking would happen? That I’d magically be interested in Evelyn? Throw the life I was building in Savannah Springs away and move back to court her? Drop to one knee on the spot? Even if the problem had been that I wasn’t ready before, which it wasn’t, what she and Evelyn tried to pull was more than enough reason to never go near her again. I’d avoided the thought of dinner for as long as I could, but now the anger was creeping in, crawling through me like static.Should I tell Audra about this on the plane? Thursday, during the day, when we were exploring? It’d ruin the whole day.I wish I didn’t need to tell her at all.
Rather than actually deal with it, I pushed it off again. Cranking the music, I busied myself with packing, made our itinerary for the trip, and completed what I had to before the night was through.
The next day, I got to the office early to get as much done as I could. Not only was I going to New York, but Maeve was leaving right after I returned, so I had to buckle down. I was completely engrossed in my task at hand, when a voice cut my concentration, “You’re taking my girl to New York, Wright?” Maeve appeared in my doorway and her eyebrows were sky high in playful accusation.
“Yeah, give her a chance to have a breath. There’s no Theo hanging around New York.”
“Uh-huh.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “In the most professional way because we’re, like, friends now … you know I know you’re full of shit, right?”
I choked on my coffee, “How do I even respond to that?”
“Tell me you’re interested. How long have you been into her? You used to hide in your damn office every time she came by. Was that because you’ve had a crush on her this whole time?”
Now, wasn’t that the question of the century? I had been curious about her every time she came to visit. Enjoyed her company from afar while she and Maeve laughed in the office. But as to when that switch flipped toI really want to know this girl, I’m not sure. That day in the flower shop poked the first hole in my armor; carbonara night blew it off, then there was no coming back after Vegas night. But there were tons of small moments between those. I wasn’t sure what sounded crazier. That my little infatuation had been building for a bit, or that this spiraled with an intensity that scared me. “Settle down there, Maeve. It’s been interesting.”
“Damn right. I have interesting friends. Do you know what she called you last night?”
I couldn’t even try to hide my eagerness to hear the answer. “She jokes that I’m Batman?” I guessed.
“No. I mean, yes, I’ve heard that through the grapevine, too. But last night, Cora said she called you her lighthouse. That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard anyone call someone. I’m not sure what is going on between you two, Donovan, but thank you for being there for one of my best friends.”
A lighthouse. I kind of loved that. Maybe I’d have to put that on our NY tour.
“She needed some help, and I happened to be in a position to do so. It’s not a big deal.” I tried to downplay it, but I wasn’t sure why. Maeve saw through me, there was no point pretending otherwise.
“You know we talk, right? Like, my four girls are on a text thread all day long. There are no secrets. Except for Jules and Murphy, and I guess my brother and Cora before he fucked it up, but…” She raised a brow at me, and I did the same back. She could be insinuating a bunch of things, but I would not be the one to give anything up. I wonder how much of the evening Audra disclosed. “Well, regardless, thank you, Donovan,” she said, knowing that was all she was getting from me.
The rest of the workday passed fast, and I found myself racing home with the groceries I had picked up. A rosemary chicken with a side salad and fresh bread was on the menu. It was a simple and delicious meal I’d perfected over the years, and I knew the dish would impress my Michelin chef.
Less than ten minutes after I put the chicken in the oven, there was a knock on my door.
“Donovan, are you kidding me?” She strolled in completely unaware of the chaos she was causing in my chest, and when she hugged me, she did her part to keep her mouth away from my lips. “My mouth is watering. I could smell that outside. What did you make?”
“It’s a lemon rosemary chicken. One of my favorites.”
“Ooh, I am in for a great meal!” she gushed.
Dressed down in yoga pants that highlighted her ass and a shirt that made her tits look perfect, she seemed lighter. Like, there wasn’t the threat of her psycho ex weighing on her shoulder. Her smile came easy, and even the tone of her voice was light.
“I have to admit, I’m excited about tomorrow. Do we have an itinerary? You seem like an itinerary kind of guy.”
I burst out laughing at that because the comment was completely on point. There was no question that I was an itinerary kind of guy.
“You got me on that, I made one last night. Let me guess, Chaos, you don’t do the itinerary thing.”
The smile that spread across her face stole my breath. Despite all our flirtations, laughs, interactions, and humping lately, for whatever reason, this mundane and foolish conversation hit me so profoundly. Her sparkling eyes bounced between mine, and it took all of my willpower not to scoop her up in my arms.
“I enjoy a loose plan, but I’m okay with some spontaneity,” she laughed. That grin had her nose scrunch up, and the tiniest tip of her tongue peeked through her teeth playfully. Then she leaned in to whisper, “I mean, sometimes I even just wing it.”
“Blasphemous words, Chaos,” I joked with her, but I didn’t fully peel away. I debated pressing my luck and kissing her. But before I could, the oven timer beeped and brought me back to the kitchen. She ended up setting the table while I got the rest of the meal together. We worked in perfect sync, and it hit me how much I loved having her here in my space, doing this with me. When we sat down, she spoke.
“Donovan, I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me. This is special. Thank you.” She put her hand over mine, and my thumb instinctively rubbed the top of her hand, noting I needed to cook more for her. As my eyes slowly traced from the point of contact up to her face, she gave me a smile that could have lit up the entire night. Breaking the moment, she took a bite of chicken and she looked surprised.
“You like it?” I asked nervously.
“Donovan, I can’t get over this. It’s incredible. Seriously, what can’t you do?”
“Can’t work on cars,” I laughed.
